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Analysing the Effects of UK Trans Media Representation on Trans Audiences by Rhianna Humphrey, University of Glasgow, UK

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Analysing the Effects of UK Trans Media Representation on Trans Audiences by Rhianna Humphrey, University of Glasgow, UK View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Enlighten "I think journalists sometimes forget that we're just people": Analysing the Effects of UK Trans Media Representation on Trans Audiences by Rhianna Humphrey, University of Glasgow, UK Abstract: The increased focus on trans lives across a variety of media has brought to light the difficult relationship between trans audiences of this media and the content produced about trans people. The print and digital content of newspapers is an important site for investigation because it can be readily accessed and shared quickly across a variety of platforms and there is a significant volume of content produced about trans people. In order to critically engage with the content produced about trans people in UK newspapers the views of trans audiences are important to assess the impact this media has on their daily lives. Academic work addressing trans lived experiences has been invaluable in understanding healthcare and relationships (Girshick, 2008; Hines, 2007) but there has been comparatively little specific work on trans media representation. The work that has been done found patterns of misrepresentation of trans identities (Kermode and TMW, 2010). This notable absence presents a potential barrier to understanding the ways in which trans media coverage impacts trans lives. With qualitative interviews at the centre of this research methodology, this paper considers trans representation in UK newspapers and analyses the effects on trans audiences. Interviews and focus groups were conducted online with self-defining trans people as experts on the ways newspaper reporting affects their lives. Online methods are useful for media reception research because of the amount of media consumption that occurs online. In the specific case of trans audiences online methods become necessary as a means to work with harder-to-reach communities with concerns about participating in research. The questions asked of trans audiences were influenced by a critical discourse analysis of trans coverage in UK newspapers over the period of one year to provide a snapshot of content. This initial search also provided example articles. During this period the newspaper complaints body issued guidelines on trans reporting so questions on the effectiveness of these were also asked. Participants were interviewed online across online focus group and instant message software. The findings that emerged from interviews revealed newspapers repeatedly influenced daily lives especially in relation to transphobia, misgendering and misrepresentation which were highlighted frequently. Some participants focused on the sensationalist nature of reporting which led to feelings of othering, whereas others were more focused on opportunities for resistance to the tropes about trans people produced. This paper considers these interviews in the current context in which they are produced and the wider discourse of trans media representation to address the impact this media has on trans audiences. By critically reflecting on the ways trans newspaper coverage affects trans audiences, this paper offers a unique and community influenced perspective that seeks different trans media representation that does not cause harm for trans readers. 1 Local and national newspapers in the UK frequently produce content considering trans subjects. The aim of this paper is to analyse the effects that trans representation in UK newspapers has on trans audiences. The impact of this coverage on trans audiences is sought from interviews with self-defining trans people because they are the experts on the ways newspaper reporting affects their lives. The data comes from online interviews and online 23 focus groups. The questions and prompts for these interviews were influenced by a preliminary analysis of trans newspaper coverage over one year to consider emerging patterns. The time frame also allowed for articles to be in the recent memory of participants. These interviews are considered in the context of literature on trans studies, the media and gender theory. 2 The UK newspaper industry operates in a news environment increasingly located on digital platforms. Additionally, this industry has been subject to scrutiny in recent years over journalistic practice and methods of holding newspapers to account such as the Editors Code of Practice and the Press Complaint Commission (PCC), now the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Trans media representation was considered within the Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practice and ethics of the press but academic scholarship on trans media representation remains lacking. In a post-Leveson environment one year after the launch of IPSO it is an opportune moment to consider trans media representation and its relationship with trans audiences. Trans community organisations have produced important work in this area which will be considered - for instance the work of Trans Media Watch (TMW) documented the treatment of trans lives in UK newspapers and submitted evidence to the Leveson Inquiry. TMW and All About Trans work with the newspaper industry to address the problematic coverage of trans subjects. Academic research in this area will allow these important experiences to be considered from a sociological standpoint. Literature 3 Work has been done on trans lives but experiences of healthcare dominate. There is some notable research outside of health experiences but little focus on the media (Beemyn and Rankin; Girshick; Hines, TransForming). Girshick suggests the media “establish[es] acceptable gender behaviours and exaggerate[s] gender roles” (38) which suggests the media has a policing role whilst simultaneously exaggerating gender practices so genders presented as ideals are removed from real experiences. However, not all media representations of trans people have negative consequences. Beemyn and Rankin suggest social media and increased news coverage can benefit young people questioning their gender (Beemyn and Rankin). The increasing representation of trans lives in the media can lead to increased participation in academic research. Hines analysis of research participation found a desire to increase awareness of trans lives and hypothesises this is because “representation of transgender people – especially in popular media and journalism – was associated with misconceptions of ‘who’ transgender people ‘were’ and, in turn, to discrimination” (Hines, TransForming 200). 24 4 Despite considerations of some research of the importance of trans media, there has been little specific work on trans media representation or trans audiences’ reception. Work that has been done repeatedly found patterns of misrepresentation of trans identities. Oram’s book on early twentieth century newspaper coverage of trans people in the UK finds use of shock and the “sensation factor” (Oram 13). In Oram’s research to be trans is to be newsworthy but the news sought is evidence of sex assigned at birth. Oram notes significant use of “masquerade” as a descriptor for those that pass in everyday life which is contrasted with the use of “impersonator” for stage performers’ crossdressing (4). Later work on trans representation in the media continues to find frequent sensationalism and othering. Raun finds media coverage of trans subjects to be “a tabloidization of transsexuality, often focusing on the artificiality of their gender” (Raun 118). Westbrook’s analysis of articles they term “teaching transgender”, due to definitions of transgender within them, in America from 1990 to 2005 finds examples of the media suggesting to be a trans man or woman is not to be a real man or woman although this is premised on the notion of gender as a binary with no consideration of other genders (Westbrook 55). This suggests the media represents binary trans people in ways that undermine their gender. Serano’s work on trans women in the media suggests these identities are reduced to “two main archetypes: the ‘deceptive transsexual’ [and] the ‘pathetic transsexual’” (Serano, “Skirt” 227). According to Serano, the deceptive transsexual archetype is predominantly reported on as a shock revelation because their “ability to ‘pass’ is a serious threat to our culture’s ideas about gender and sexuality” whereas the pathetic transsexual archetype is presented as “harmless” but “barely a woman” (228). Serano’s work finds a focus on trans women and an underrepresentation of trans men in the media that does not reflect population demographics and hypothesises that this misrepresentation is part of the media’s sexism. Serano’s work includes fictional depictions of trans women and broadcast media but does not consider newspaper representation. 5 These texts do not consider trans audiences so it is necessary for a more sociological analysis of the effects of the presentation of trans identities on trans audiences. Kermode and TMW found the majority of their participants “consider[ed] newspapers to be the biggest source of problematic material” (Kermode and TMW 8). Their 2009-2010 UK survey of transgender people asked “about representations of trans people in the media” (2). Significant numbers focused on inaccuracies [78%] and expressed that the media did not value the thoughts of trans audiences [95%] (5). This research is unique in its consideration of the opinions of trans audiences and finds concerns about “inaccuracy, poor research and inappropriate use of language” (8). This research also links trans media
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